Most of the mainstream thought today assumes that voting and democracy are the great participatory tools for citizens to be involved in their governments. For another perspective, see "Choose and Lose", infoshop.org's evaluation of voting and elections.

3) Swing states. There are 11 "swing" states, worth 135 electoral votes. According to Electoral-vote.com, they are: Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire and Ohio (which Bush won in 2000) as well as Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin (which Gore won in 2000). Do you want more information on swing states? Check here: